Who Will Save You From Yourself?

Kaleidoscope's latest is on Jerry Bruckheimer Films & Skydance Media's production of "Gemini Man".  Directed by Ang Lee, the movie stars Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Douglas Hodge, Linda Emond, & Benedict Wong.  Rated 'PG-13', it has a running time of 1 hr., 57 min.

The film opens with a sequence that defines the current physical & mental state of aging US government assassin Henry Brogan (Smith).  He is on a mission to assassinate a terrorist, name unknown, who is traveling on a bullet train, location unknown.  As he is about to fire, Henry's spotter, who is on the train near the target, warns Henry that a young girl has come too near the target.  This causes Henry to delay his shot until the last possible second; although he kills the target, he has shot the man in the neck instead of the aimed-for head.  Due to this action, his age, his disenchantment with killing, & possibly other reasons, Henry decides to retire.  While renting a boat on an island to which he has retired, Henry meets the manager Dani Zakarweski (Winstead).  Henry also meets an old friend, Jack (Hodge), who tells Henry that one of his CI's has informed him that the target Henry killed was, indeed, innocent.  When Henry's agency director Lassiter (Emond) finds out that Henry has learned of the agency's deception, she arranges to have Henry killed.  Enter Clay Varris (Owen), head of a secret black-ops company code-named 'Gemini'.  He asks Lassiter if he can have the assassination contract, but she disagrees.  Henry soon realizes that Dani is a fellow agent who has been sent to keep an eye on him.  From there Lassiter assigns a 'hit squad to eliminate Henry & Dani, and the plot escalates.

Director Lee is famed for his character study-themed films: i.e. "The Ice Storm", "Brokeback Mountain", & "Life of Pi", winning 2 Best Director Oscars for the 2nd & 3rd movies.  He achieves a moderately successful result here working as best he can with David Benioff's, Billy Ray's, & Darren Lemke's screenplay, a script which feels the need to rely more on action than thoughts.  Thoughtful issues regarding the ethics of cloning; the dangers of allowing a violent, reckless company and/or individual free reign to conduct clandestine mission(s) that benefit only the company and/or himself; and the ability to talk & reason with one's own clone are issues that are raised & dealt with in a reasonable if not very deep way.  One can see how the concept appealed to Lee, & he tries his best within the limits of the action genre.  This is, after all, primarily a Hollywood vehicle for Smith.  Smith is very good as Henry & his cloned alter-ego Junior.  The once youthful Fresh Prince has entered his 50's (He is 51) without trying to hide his age.  His character of Henry seems to embrace this as he longs for the retirement that eludes him; it is this wisdom that allows Henry to successfully vie with Junior.  Smith remains one of our top leading men who is believable in most any role.  Winstead is fine as the agent who must adapt to evolving from favored agent into a hunted one even though she has done nothing wrong.  Owen is convincing as the heavy who wishes to do as he wants without regard to 'right' or 'wrong' or societal norms (sound familiar?).  Wong is excellent as Henry's trusted associate who is willing to follow & support Henry no matter the circumstances.  He sort of reprises the role as Wong that he has in the MCU & "Dr. Strange" films.  Dion Beebe's cinematography & Tim Squyres (a long-time Lee associate) editing provide for thrilling action scenes that propel the film as it alternates between sections of more thoughtful dialogue.  Beebe's camera is especially effective in the underground scenes.  Lorne Balfe's score is appropriate if of a prosaic nature.

I give "Gemini Man" 7 out of 10 nuggets.  It is an average action film with thoughtful ideas that could have been explored with more depth.  Will Smith is very good as a hero who is both perplexed & assertive.  If you are a Smith and/or Lee fan, head to your local theater.  If not, wait for the film's appearance on streaming or DVD.